With details of Brandon Gibson's contract coming out, we can get a good picture of where the Dolphins are cap-wise for 2013.

His cap hit will be just under $1.8 million. That means the Dolphins have about $109 million on the books for 2013, putting them $14 million under the cap. However, the Dolphins rolled over $5 million from last year, so their true number is $19 million. Consider that they'll put aside $6 million for rookies and they have about $13 million to play with right now.

This is more than enough to sign a couple more free agents to one year, multi million dollar deals. Players like Osi Umenyora and Eric Winston become stop gap options at positions of need if they are willing to sign one year deals.

The Dolphins can then draft their replacements and not be obligated to immediately force them into action before they are ready, or use them situationally to give them on the field experience.

Then, when 2014 rolls around, these one year deals have no impact and 2013 draft picks are ready to take on bigger roles at a much cheaper price tag. The fact is that the Dolphins have a lot of money tied up in the tier 1 free agents they signed this offseason (Wallace, Ellerbe), so 2014 is going to be all about 2nd year players coming into their own and core players like Wallace, Ellerbe, Tannehill, Hartline etc continuing to improve.

The expectation is that the cap will not go up much if at all in 2014, so while the Dolphins have added, and could still add, a considerable amount of talent for 2013, they better hit on draft picks in the 2013 draft to establish some continuity. They are most likely not going to be able to bring back players like Umenyora and even Dustin Keller in 2014.

What I think would be the best strategy is for the Dolphins to go ahead and sign players like Umenyora and Winston, address cornerback early because that's your biggest need, and address defensive end, tackle, and tight end in rounds 2-4, so that you can have those 2nd string players begin to assimilate to the NFL game, get in game experience, and be ready to go in 2014.

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Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:13 pm

Rich

Phinfever Live!, Blog Writer

Joined: Tue Jan 12, 2010 9:59 amPosts: 23200Location: Miami, FL

Re: Update on 2013 Cap Situation

One more thing to add. The Dolphins do have about $3 million in dead cap. So that impacts the $13 million number. Call it closer to $10 million to spend on free agency.

But, since Kevin Burnett and Karlos Dansby were designated June 1st cuts, that should open another $7 million in cap space on June 1st.

What the Dolphins are probably planning to do is to find another free agent or two to address needs and acquire the rest of their talent for 2013 via the draft.

If someone gets injured, then they may have to dip into some cap space after the June 1st cuts take place. If not, they are going to have a substantial amount of money to roll over to 2014 (probably $9 million or so).

If the cap is $123 million in 2014, consider it about $132 million for the Dolphins. That will help offset the massive cap hit from Mike Wallace's 2nd year base salary.

In 2015, alot of these contracts get smaller both from a base salary and cap hit perspective. You can expect the Dolphins to extend Tannehill if they see the growth they expect.

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Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:22 pm

degs

Phinfever Legend

Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2010 2:05 pmPosts: 2493Location: NSW, Australia

Re: Update on 2013 Cap Situation

It's nice to see there is not only a strategy for 2013, but a long term strategy as well.

It looks like the pieces are coming together. Now we get to see if they fit nicely.

$10m in available dollars for FA can get more than just a one-year contract on a couple of guys. It's possible we sign a CB to a longer term deal. There doesn't seem to be a hurry as CB's haven't exactly been at the front of most teams FA queue.

Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:20 pm

wkloiber13

Phinfever Legend

Joined: Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:59 pmPosts: 5117

Re: Update on 2013 Cap Situation

Rich wrote:

His cap hit will be just under $1.8 million. That means the Dolphins have about $109 million on the books for 2013, putting them $14 million under the cap. However, the Dolphins rolled over $5 million from last year, so their true number is $19 million. Consider that they'll put aside $6 million for rookies and they have about $13 million to play with right now.

I'd love to see us add Eric Winston and Elvis Dumervil. If we did that, and focused on defensive secondary in the draft, then I think we'd be primed for a playoff run.